Principal's Note - May 17, 2021
Good afternoon, Holmes Families!
I hope that you all enjoyed this beautiful weekend! It is so hard to believe that there are just four weeks remaining in this school year! In addition to closing out the school year, we are working on planning for our summer programs (more information coming soon) and for the upcoming school year. Stay tuned later this week for some exciting plans we have for students beginning next year!
SOL Testing - Week 3!!
Just one more week of SOL testing to go! This week, all students (who have not opted out) will take their Math SOLs. Tomorrow, Monday, May 17th, our virtual students will be coming in to the building to take their Math SOLs. Mr. Kamar has sent details, including bus information, to families and students this past week, and students received information in their SOAR classes.
Important details for ALL students on Thursday, May 20th:
- There will be no 1st period class for ANY students on Thursday, May 6th.
- In-person students will report directly to their testing location (their SOAR class for most students) on Thursday morning and will remain there until 10:17 am.
- Virtual students will be ASYNCHRONOUS from 7:30-10:30 am on Thursday. They will not need to report to class until the normal 5th period time.
It's not too late to opt your student out of SOLs. If you would still like to opt them out, you can fill out the appropriate form below.
In case you missed it, here's the link again to the PTA meeting on 4/21 where we talked about the specifics of opting out and what to consider.
If you have any questions about your student(s) and their SOL tests, please feel free to reach out to our testing coordinator, Mr. Kamar, at @email, or to your student's counselor.
Here are today's newsletter topics:
Holmes Updates
- Student Services - Important Information
- FCPS End of Year Grading Policies - New Deadline
- After School Program Schedule
- Holmes MS Spiritwear Webstore is Open
- Lions Club International Peace Poster Contest Winners
- Summer Practice Books
- Summer VIP Camp Registration
- Important Dates
- Reporting Student Absences
- How to Stay Connected to Holmes MS
FCPS Updates
- Annandale Atoms Athletic Department Virtual Information Night for Rising 9th Graders
-
Celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month: Take Note of 11 Moments From Asian American History
-
Important Immunization Requirement: Do You Have a Student Entering Seventh Grade or Twelfth Grade This Fall?
- COVID Recovery Services Available for Special Education Students
-
2021 FCPS Summer Learning Information
-
Multilingual Family Podcasts: Yes, We Want Your Child Back in School! Attendance Matters!
- Workcamp - Free Home Repair
-
English Learner Supports for Summer 2021
- FCPS Seeking Individuals to Serve as Substitute Teachers
- FCPS CARES Program
Thank you, and have a great week!
Sincerely,
Margaret Barnes
Proud Principal, Holmes MS
HOLMES UPDATES
FCPS End of Year Grading Policies - New Deadline
For the 2020-21 school year, all students with an "F" will receive a "NM" (No Mark) on their report cards. All students with a "D" will receive a "P" (Pass). Families of middle school students also have until June 1st, 2021, to designate the final mark for their current courses as Pass instead of final grades “A” through “C-“. Additional information is enclosed and available on the following website: https://www.fcps.edu/academics/grading-and-reporting/secondary
Please see Ms. Giron's email dated to families on Monday, April 19th, to learn more.
After School Program Schedule - May
Virtual after-school activities will be a blend of school clubs, community service, arts and crafts, leadership, recreation and sports, and other activities.
For any specific questions related to the After School Program or to share new ideas for after school activities, please feel free to contact Mrs. Parker, our After School Program Specialist.
Holmes MS Spiritwear Webstore is Open
Lions Club International Peace Poster Contest Winners
The Lions Club and Holmes MS art classes have had a long relationship through the annual Lions Club International Peace Poster Contest. This year’s poster theme was “Peace Through Service”. About 220 Holmes art students participated this year, and the five awarded winners were picked by our Lions Club judge.
Here are two winners of the Peace Poster Contest.
First Place
Bryan Orlando Cedillos Sarmiento – 8th Grade
Honorable Mentions
Nafeesa Naz - 8th Grade
Summer Practice Books
Summer Practice Books will be mailed home to FCPS students to provide suggested activities for students to support continued learning. Families who have opted-out of paper mailings from the division will only receive digital copies of the Summer Practice Books. Books will be mailed home to families in early June to arrive before the last day of school, June 11, 2021. Families will receive email communication in May about upcoming book arrival. Digital versions of books will be emailed to the enrolling parent SIS account in PDF format the week of June 7, 2021.
- Pre-Kindergarten students will receive one interdisciplinary Summer Practice Book.
- Students enrolled in grades K-8 in 2020-21 will receive one Language Arts Practice Book and one Math Practice Book by course enrollment. These books will also include information and guidance about digital tools that can be accessed by students and families to support learning throughout the summer.
- English Learners and Special Education students may receive additional or customized books.
More information can be accessed on the Summer Practice Books public webpage.
Summer VIP Summer Camp Registration Information
Click HERE to register.
Please make sure you register online to reserve your place because space is limited.
Important Dates
- Monday, May 31st: NO SCHOOL / MEMORIAL DAY HOLIDAY
- Friday, June 11th: LAST DAY OF SCHOOL / EARLY RELEASE
- Friday, June 11th: SAVE THE DATE, Outdoor 8th Grade Celebration & Laptop Collection (More details to come)
- Friday, June 11th - Tuesday, June 15th: Laptop Collection (more details to come)
Reporting Student Absences
How do I report my student's absence for virtual or in-person classes?
- Please call our attendance line at 703-658-5919 or submit an attendance form.
How to Stay Connected to Holmes MS
Please stay in touch with us throughout the year by:
- keeping your contact information up-to-date throughout the year
- visiting the Holmes MS website
- signing up for News You Choose
- following us on Twitter
- monitoring your student's progress with SIS Parent Account
- join the Holmes MS PTA and attend meetings
FCPS UPDATES
Annandale Atoms Athletic Department Virtual Information Night for Rising 9th Graders
Annandale Atoms Athletic Department Virtual Information Night for Rising 9th Graders
The Annandale High School Athletic Department would like to invite you to join us for a virtual Information Night for Rising 9th Graders. This important event will take place May 26th at 6:30pm. During this session, we will share with you the sports/seasons that we offer, how to sign up for a sport, and when try-outs for each sport begin. We will focus on our Fall Sports (Cheerleading, Cross Country, Field Hockey, Football, Golf, and Volleyball) and a coach for each fall sport will be available for breakout sessions with a meet and greet format. Please use THIS LINK to join us on May 26th at 6:30pm. ALSO - please complete THIS GOOGLE FORM so that we can add you to the appropriate coach’s email list.
Celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month: Take Note of 11 Moments From Asian American History
More than 30 years after President George H.W. Bush signed a law that designated every May as Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, much of Asian American history remains unknown to many Americans—including Asian Americans themselves. Read more in TIME.
Important Immunization Requirement: Do You Have a Student Entering Seventh Grade or Twelfth Grade This Fall?
While the COVID-19 vaccination is NOT required by schools for the 2021-22 school year, many other vaccinations are.
Seventh-grade students need:
- One dose of Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, acellular pertussis) given at age 7 or older.
- One dose of Meningococcal Vaccine (MenACWY, Menactra, or Menveo) given at age 10 or older.
Twelfth-grade students need:
- One dose of Meningococcal Vaccine (MenACWY, Menactra, or Menveo) given at age 16 or older.
More information on new immunization requirements is available online.
COVID Recovery Services Available for Special Education Students
Special education COVID recovery services may be considered for any student with a disability whose Individualized Education Program (IEP) Team or Section 504 Committee determines there remains a significant educational impact due to the COVID-19 school closure and the virtual learning this school year. Recovery services are designed to address learning gaps and are determined by IEP Teams or 504 Committees.
Not all students with disabilities will require COVID recovery services. COVID recovery services are based on whether or not the student continued making progress in the general education curriculum, or alternative course of study specified in their IEP/504 plan or toward meeting their IEP goals, and/or if any significant regression occurred during the period of school closure.
IEP Teams and 504 Committees will use a variety of data sources including individual student progress data, teacher assessments, and parent input when considering COVID recovery services. If the IEP Team or 504 Committee decides a student requires recovery services, the team will determine the amount and type of recovery service that is required to address the individual student’s needs.
If you think that your child may require COVID recovery services, please contact your child’s IEP/504 case manager to further discuss and schedule a meeting for the IEP team or 504 committee to consider the need for recovery services.
Additional information regarding FCPS’ Summer Recovery Academy is available online
2021 FCPS Summer Learning Information
This summer, FCPS will offer a variety of school-based opportunities. These include:
- Credit Recovery: Each high and secondary school will host credit recovery opportunities for its students during two sessions.
- School-Based Opportunities for Select Elementary School Students: Each elementary school has summer learning opportunities designed to support students as they develop executive functioning skills, mathematics skills, and language arts skills.
- School-Based Opportunities for Select Middle School Students: Each middle school has summer learning opportunities designed to support students as they develop: mathematics, language arts, and problem-solving skills.
School staff will contact families of students who will be invited in the coming weeks. The total number of students that can attend school-based programs is based on the number of teachers at the school available to work this summer.
There are also a variety of summer enrichment programs open to all students. Information on how to register for these programs is available on the FCPS Summer Learning webpage.
More information is expected to be coming soon regarding details about Camp Fairfax offerings for summer 2021.
Multilingual Family Podcasts: Yes, We Want Your Child Back in School! Attendance Matters!
2020 and 2021 have posed many challenges for all of us. We miss our students who have been absent. FCPS wants your child back in school and is ready to help. Listen to the latest Spanish, Arabic, and Korean podcasts on why we want your child back in school. We care and attendance matters!
The podcasts hosts and guests engage in a passionate discussion on how we care, why attendance matters, common reasons for absence, school procedures regarding attendance, and what parents can do to partner with the school to get students back on track and in school.
Listen and Subscribe:
Workcamp - Free Home Repair
English Learner Supports for Summer 2021
FCPS staff members will be providing additional academic content and English language development support for our 36,000 English learners (ELs) this summer.
Elementary and middle school ELs will participate in the division’s inclusive summer program to strengthen core mathematics and language arts skills. All ELs ELP level 1 and 2 will be invited to participate. Additional ELs ELP level 3 and 4 will be invited based on identified needs.
High school ELs who failed a core academic course will participate in Credit Recovery. ESOL resource teachers will collaborate with content teachers to support ELs.
High school ELs who are ELP level 1 or SLIFE will be invited to participate in numeracy and literacy essentials based on need, for multiple weeks of math and literacy intervention.
All high school ELs ELP level 1-4 will be invited to participate in online language and literacy lonnections (middle and high school). This is one hour of synchronous online learning with one hour of asynchronous reading, writing, and online assignments per week.
In addition, extended English Language Development (ELD) will be offered to all ELs ELP level 1-4 in elementary, middle, and high school who are not participating in a structured summer program.
For any questions about the FCPS summer programs, email [email protected].
FCPS Is Seeking Individuals to Serve as Substitute Teachers
Are you or somebody you know interested in substitute teaching with FCPS? Apply online or attend one of our Friday information sessions to learn more. To sign up for a session, visit the FCPS substitute teacher information page.
FCPS Cares Program
The FCPS CARES Program is an opportunity for parents, staff, and community members to recognize FCPS employees for going above and beyond to help others and show they care. We invite you to submit your story so we can acknowledge the good work of FCPS employees.